Special Issue on Language, Law and Rights: Balancing AI Driven Technology and Equity

Language and Law / Linguagem e Direito — 2024-05-28

Call for Papers

Special Issue: Language, Law and Rights: Balancing AI Driven Technology and Equity

Guest Editors: Angela Soltan, Lucia Ruiz Rosendo, Rebekah Rousi

The technological landscape is undergoing game-changing shifts. These shifts concern not only digital applications available for widespread consumption, including what we know as artificial intelligence (AI)-driven applications, but also the ways we interact and collaborate/co-create with this technology. At its core, AI is a tool that processes and generates human-like language. The power it holds and the impact it has are the reflection of the design and deployment choices people make. The lack of focus on equity and ethical considerations in AI design can exacerbate existing social inequalities and marginalise vulnerable communities even further.

AI-driven technology is increasingly integrated in every layer of human activity. Large language models (LLMs) in particular, have been the focus of most discussions as this technology enables the generation of content that previously required extensive human labour. Moreover, LLMs operationalise language in a way that allows non-expert humans to access, interact with and control other types of pervasive technology like chatbots, avatars, robots, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. However, there is a crucial caveat: LLMs inherit biases from data they are trained on, perpetuating unequal representation across languages. LLMs comprise bias based on both data quality and representation in training data, as well as in terms of the languages they are built on.

In the global technological landscape, not all languages stand equal. Not all language communities with their rich variations have access to the so-called AI and other technological wonders that mark the era. LLMs exemplify how information technology can impact the very core of our being - language, culture, identity, and sense of belonging. The increased reliance on technology for societal participation fuels social pressure to keep abreast of the times (e. g. techno-enabling). This raises concerns about equitable participation and opportunities for all communities to access information and services, to contribute and thrive in societies. The rights and wellbeing of people in vulnerable situations will require particular focus.

This Special Issue explores the multifaceted impact of digital transformation on Language and Law/Linguagem e Direito, and specifically on language rights, human rights, integrity, identity, citizenship, and participation. It delves into a spectrum of multidisciplinary issues from the perspective of the current wave of AI driven digital transformation. The Special Issue focuses on the concerns of people who speak minority and minoritised languages, or live in linguistically marginalised communities. The current call for papers seeks transdisciplinary contributions connected to a range of fields including (but not limited to): linguistics, disability studies, information technology, cognitive science, human-computer interaction, cultural studies, design, sociology, ethics, psychology, philosophy, law, and business. We, the editors, particularly welcome both theoretical and empirical contributions that challenge prominent understandings, from a language and law perspective, on:

relationships and tensions between language, law, rights, and technology;
linguistic imperialism via technology;
emerging digital divides and other social issues;
co-designing technology with diverse communities;
assistive technology for language access;
accessibility considerations for language rights;
best practice to balance innovation and equity by maintaining a dialogue with technology developers, communities, researchers and policymakers;
best practice for promoting linguistic equality and equity through regulations and policy.

Keywords: Language, technology, human-machine interaction, minorities, human-centricity, rights, justice, equity

Themes:

Co-creation between humans; co-creation with AI-driven technology (co-AI)
Non-converging goals (e. g. efficiency vs. customization, bias vs. fairness, short-term gains vs. long-term sustainability, commercial Interests vs. social good, power dynamics and control vs. individual choices)
Quality of life, law, regulation and ethics
Linguistic justice
Cultural issues
Sociological issues of language rights in relation to technology, its development, and deployment
Accessibility - access to services (public services and otherwise)
Language rights and language policy and planning
Glottopolitics and computer-assisted communication
Language rights and multilingual administrations
Minoritised languages and human geography
Technology-mediated communication in multilingual democracies
Participation of linguistic minority groups through remote interpreting
Minoritised/indigenous language media and social media
AI and data mining in under-resourced languages
Agency issues in human-machine interaction and language rights Language rights and international law (normative frameworks)
Linguistic Human Rights as individual and collective rights to choose the language/s for communication
Language Rights of vulnerable witnesses
Psychosocial factors in using linguistic varieties in public services
Human-Centred augmented translation
Machine translation, post-editing tools and minority languages

Length: ≃ 7000-8000 words (Guidelines available here)

Book reviews: Suggest books published recently to be reviewed for the special issue.

Important Dates for Vol. 12(1), 2025 (June, 2025)

First call for papers: May 28, 2024
Second call for papers: June 15, 2024
Third call for papers: September 14, 2024

Full article submission: October 14, 2024

Submission link: Make a new submission

Language and Law / Linguagem e Direito: Announcements

Special Issue on Language, Law and Rights: Balancing AI Driven Technology and Equity